After reading this chapter, you should be able to understand:

• the history of public healthcare in the United States
• welfare reform and variation in state policy responsibility
• how TANF, Medicaid, and Medicare differ
• what the Affordable Care Act is and how it affects state health policy
• the phrase “devolution revolution” and what it means for state policymaking
• the role of SCHIP in expanding healthcare benefits
• how the “baby boom” retirement and prescription drug costs affect state health policy